in addition, they report that gay males with high self-esteem reported satisfying relationships with both parents and having a mother who knows their sexual orientation (p. 506).
The Christian coalition and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Reagan and Bush years have been partly to blame for the increased risk of suicide for gay and lesbian youths. Louis Sullivan, secretary of the DHHS during the Reagan-Bush era, stated that statistics regarding Gay and lesbian suicide were "contrary" to family values, and therefore contrary to DHHS's mission. The ambiguity of the above statement is typical of those who obscure the issue with phrases such as "family values" and "sexual preference," instead of sexual "orientation." A scientific article such as Proctor & Groze's correctly uses the term "orientation" instead of "preference," thus reflecting the scientifically correct view that one's sexual orientation is most likely biologically determined.
Social workers can help to stop the trend of gay teen suicide if they themselves indicate th
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